The 2011–12 Austrian Football Championship was the 100th anniversary of the event. The highest league is the Austrian Football Bundesliga, which marked its 38th season and was contested by ten teams. The Austrian football champion was determined in four heats. The championship began on July 16, 2011 and ended on May 17, 2012 with the completion of the 36th and final round.[1]

The champion was FC Red Bull Salzburg for the seventh time. SK Rapid Wien was the runner-up by six points. While Salzburg became eligible for the qualification to the UEFA Champions League (second round) by winning the championship, Rapid and third-place FC Admira Wacker Mödling, the most successful promoted team in Bundesliga history, became eligible to play in a qualification for the UEFA Europa League (second round). Sixth-place SV Ried was also eligible because of its participation in the cup final of the Europa League.

Kapfenberger SV ended the championship in last place and therefore had to move down to the second-level First League after four seasons in the Bundesliga.

The Austrian Football First League began on June 10, 2011 and ended on May 18, 2012 after the 36th and final round.[1] The Carinthian cooperative associations Wolfsberger AC and SK St. Andrä won the championship. WAC, which ended its cooperative with SK St. Andrä after the 2011–12 season, moved up to the Bundesliga for the first time. The last place team of TSV Hartberg had to move down to the Austrian Regional League Central. The second-to-last place team had to play two relegation matches against Grazer AK, the champion of the Central Regional League.

In the three Regional Leagues (East, Central, and West), teams played two heats for advancement into the First League. Two of the three teams would qualify. In 2011–12, the champion of the Regional League West (WSG Wattens) met the Regional League East champion SV Horn in the qualification, while the Regional League Central champion GAK met the First League last-place finisher. Insofar as the relegated teams did not have other arrangements, three teams had to move down to the fourth level league.

In the second instance on May 13, 2011, the protest committee of the Bundesliga decided that FC Trenkwalder Admira would be awarded a license, while FC Wacker Innsbruck, LASK Linz, and FC Lustenau 07 were awarded a license only under financial constraints.[5]

Supported by the sports betting provider tipp3 as the main sponsor, the Bundesliga is the highest league in Austrian soccer and held its 92nd season in 2011–12. The secondary sponsor is the mobile service provider T-Mobile Austria which is the reason why the official name of the league is tipp3-Bundesliga powered by T-Mobile. After six years, the promoted club FC Admira Wacker was again represented in Austria’s highest league. The team replaced the relegated club LASK Linz.[6]

The television provider sky Deutschland had the rights to show all Bundesliga matches in full length, which were broadcast in a pay television format on the channel sky sport austria. For the first time, the station showed all games not only in the well-known conference circuit but also individual matches. In addition, ORF had the broadcasting rights to each “Top Match of the Round” – mostly on Sundays, but also on Wednesdays for weekday rounds. This arrangement did not apply in the last two rounds, in which all games had to be held at the same time. Consequently, ORF was permitted to show a 45-minute summary of the remaining four matches in each round.

In the 2011–12 season, ten clubs competed against each other in a total of 36 rounds as had been done in previous years. The draw was redone after the ninth and 27th rounds. Each team thus played against every other team twice at home and twice away.

The champion Red Bull Salzburg was eligible for the second qualification round for the 2012-13 UEFA Champions League. The second and third place clubs (SK Rapid Wien and FC Trenkwalder Admira) as well as the Austrian Cup winner were eligible to start in the second or third qualification round for the 2012-13 UEFA Europa League. Should the Austrian Cup winner also be Austrian champion, the loser of the cup final would start in the Europa League. The tenth place club, Kapfenberger SV, had to move down to the second level league, the First League.

The First League is the second-highest league in Austrian professional soccer and held its 36th season in 2011–12. LASK Linz was new in the league as well as the two winners of the relegation matches (ninth place in the First League 2010–11 against the champion of the Regional League East 2010–11 and the champion of the Regional League West 2010-11 against the champion of the Regional League Central 2010-11).

In the 2011–12 season, Vorarlberg had three clubs, Upper Austria had two clubs, and Vienna, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Styria, and Carinthia each had one club. Burgenland and Tyrol were not represented in the First League.

sky Deutschland owned the television rights for the First League as in the Bundesliga which allowed them to show every game in full length. The games were broadcast on sky sport austria and as part of a conference circuit with four games beginning at 6:30PM. In the last two rounds, all games had to be played at the same time, and sky was allowed to pick an additional game which would be designated as the “Top Game of the Round” and would be shown at 8:30PM on Fridays. ORF also had the rights to broadcast the Top Game of the Round live and in full length. They broadcast the games on their channel ORF Sport +.[7]

In the 2011–12 season, which began on July 10, 2011, ten clubs competed against each other in 36 rounds, as had been done in previous seasons. The championship ended on May 13, 2012.[1]

The champion of the league moved up to the Bundesliga. The last place team had to move down to its corresponding region in the Regional League. This team was replaced by the winner of the two qualification matches between the champions of the Regional League West and Regional League East. The next-to-last team had to play two relegation matches against the champion of the Regional League Central. The winner of the relegation matches qualified for the First League for the 2012-13 season.

The Regional Leagues East, West, and Central constitute the third level of play in Austrian soccer. The Regional League East is made up of the clubs in the Vienna, Lower Austria, and Burgenland soccer associations. The Regional League Central is composed of clubs in the Upper Austria, Carinthia, and Styria soccer associations. The Regional League West is made up of the clubs in the Salzburg, Tyrol, and Vorarlberg soccer associations.

Clubs in these leagues play for a relegation place in the First League. The prerequisite for a possible promotion is the granting of a license by the fifth senate of the Bundesliga.

The three last place teams of the Regional Leagues have to move down to the fourth level of play. If more clubs move down from the First League, the number of clubs that must move down to the fourth level will go up as well. If two clubs move down from the First League that belong to the federal states that comprise the Regional League Central, four teams from the Regional League Central would need to move down.

In the new class reform of 2009, it was decided that the promotion candidates of the Regional Leagues together with the ninth place in the First League must compete in the relegation matches in order to remain in or be promoted to the First League. An alternating method of relegation matches was agreed upon for the Regional League teams. Accordingly, the Regional League Central had to compete against the ninth place in the First League and the Regional League East had to compete against the Regional League West in this season.[9] On the basis of the license withdrawal of LASK Linz and the associated demotion to the Regional League Central, the ninth place in the First League, FC Lustenau 07, remained in the second level of play without a relegation match. The last place in the First League, TSV Hartberg, moved up to the relegation place and competed against the Regional League Central champion.

In the first pairing, the last place in the First League, TSV Hartberg, played against the champion of the Regional League central, Grazer AK.